The stories of Alexander the Great served to direct men’s attention eastward, for, besides narrating the adventures of the Macedonian conqueror, they gave, as we have already seen,[496] details of a sort about the geography of Asia, particularly of India.[497] Not only were the earlier Latin versions derived from the _Pseudo-Callisthenes_ paraphrased and copied by historians,[498] but new elements were added to the cycle—notably the _Iter ad Paradisum_,[499] an account of Alexander’s journey to Paradise. Walter of Châtillon (or of Lille), about 1180, composed in the style of Lucan a great Latin hexameter poem entitled _Alexandreis_, based in part on the legendary stories of the Macedonian and in part on the more authentic histories of Justin and Quintus Curtius.[500] The widest currency, however, was given to the Romance through its translation into the vernacular tongues. The oldest French version, which covers the earlier portion of the Romance only, was written by Alberic of Besançon (early twelfth century?) in octosyllabic verse of the dialect of the Dauphiny.[501] This was translated into German by one Lamprecht and was rendered into the _langue d’oïl_ in decasyllabic form.[502] The Romance reached its highest vernacular development in a version in alexandrines,[503] the joint composition of Lambert li Tors of Châteaudun, Alexander of Bernai (or of Paris), and Peter of St. Cloud. The existence of more than twenty manuscripts testifies to the popularity of this great poem, which is a sort of mosaic from various sources.[504] Much of it came from the _Pseudo-Callisthenes_ through the medium of Valerius, the _Epitoma_ of Valerius, Alberic of Besançon, and the decasyllabic poem; but some elements can be traced back to Orosius, Justin, Quintus Curtius, Eustatius, and Josephus, and the texts show many later interpolations of unknown origin. The Romance in alexandrines was drawn upon in its turn by later compilers. From the mid-thirteenth century there dates a poem, probably by one Eustace of Kent, which incorporates much material from this and other sources.[505] It includes miscellaneous geographical elements; and certain of the manuscripts are adorned with a wealth of magnificent miniatures, representing, among other things, the marvels of India and all the fantastic creatures encountered by Alexander throughout the East. PRESTER JOHN